White Light/White Heat
White Light/White Heat is the second studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in 1968 by record label Verve. It was the band's last recording with bassist and founding member John Cale. In 2003, the album was ranked number 293 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Background After the disappointing sales of the Velvet Underground's first album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), the band's relationship with Andy Warhol deteriorated. They toured throughout most of 1967. Many of their live performances featured noisy improvisations that would become key elements on White Light/White Heat.[6] The band eventually fired Warhol and parted ways with Nico;[7] and ultimately went on to record their second album with Tom Wilson credited as producer. Recording The album was recorded in just two days, and with a noticeably different style than The Velvet Underground & Nico. John Cale described White Light/White Heat as "a very rabid record... The first one had some gentility, some beauty. The second one was consciously anti-beauty."[citation needed] Sterling Morrison said: "We were all pulling in the sameDIRECTION. We may have been dragging each other off a cliff, but we were all definitely going in the same direction. In the White Light/White Heat era, our lives were chaos. That's what's reflected in the record."[citation needed] During the recording of "Sister Ray", producer Tom Wilson reportedly left the studio rather than endure the cacophony.[citation needed] Content Themes and composition Nearly every song on the album contains some sort of experimental or avant-garde quality. "The Gift", for example, contains a recital of a short story and a loud instrumental rock song playing simultaneously, with the former on the left speaker channel and the latter on the right. "I Heard Her Call My Name" is distinguishable for its distorted guitar solos and prominent use of feedback. The record's lyrics vary from themes of drug use and sexual references (such as fellatio and orgies), including the song "Lady Godiva's Operation", about a transsexual woman's botched lobotomy,[8][unreliable source?] and the title track "White Light/White Heat", which describes the use of amphetamine.[9] "Here She Comes Now" is built around a double-entendre. On the album's last track, "Sister Ray", Lou Reedtells a tale of debauchery involving drag queens having a failed orgy, while the band plays an improvisedseventeen minute jam around three chords. Cover The album cover to White Light/White Heat is a faint image of a tattoo of a skull. The tattoo was that of Joe Spencer, who played the lead role in Warhol's 1967 film Bike Boy. Spencer starred as a hustler in a motorcycle gang and is seen taking a shower in the movie. Although he wasn't credited for the cover design as with their debut album, it was Warhol's idea to use a black-on-black picture of the tattoo. Reed selected the image from the negatives from the film, and it was enlarged and distorted by Billy Name, one of the members of the Factory.[10] It is difficult to distinguish the tattoo, as the image is black, printed on a slightly lighter black background. On this cover, the album name, the Verve logo, and the band name are all on one line. An alternative cover was used for Polydor's mid-1980s reissues. This cover had a completely black background, without the arm in the background. On this version, the album name, Verve logo, and band name are printed on three separate lines. There also exists a unique MGM Records UK cover, produced from 1976 until the early '80s, featuring a white background and abstract toy soldiers. Reception Like other releases by the group, the album's socially transgressive lyrical themes and avant-garde instrumentation challenged the popular music sensibilities at the time, creating a muted reception.[1] The album briefly appeared on the [http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Billboard_200 Billboard 200], although only peaking at number 199.[16] Legacy Despite its poor sales, the distorted, feedback-driven, and roughly recorded sound on White Light/White Heat''became a notable influence on punk music and experimental rock.[17] As an example of the album's influence on punk music, British rock band Buzzcocks formed loosely after members followed an advertisement looking for musicians who could collaborate on a "Sister Ray" cover.[18] In 2003, the album was ranked number 293 on ''Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, alongside other releases by the group. Track listing All songs written and composed by Lou Reed, except as noted. Personnel ;The Velvet Underground *John Cale – lead vocals (track 3), backing vocals (tracks 1 and 5), spoken word (track 2), electric viola (tracks 3 and 4), organ (track 6), piano (tracks 1 and 4),bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4 and 5), medical sound effects (track 3) *Sterling Morrison – lead guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4 and 6), rhythm guitar (track 5), bass guitar (track 3), backing vocals (tracks 1, 3 and 5), medical sound effects (track 3) *Lou Reed – lead vocals, lead guitar (tracks 2, 3, 5 and 6), rhythm guitar (tracks 1 and 4) *Maureen Tucker – percussion (tracks 1–5), drums (track 6) ;Technical personnel *Gary Kellgren – recording engineer *Bob Ludwig – mastering *Val Valentin – director of engineering *Tom Wilson – production Category:1968 albums Category:Albums produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) Category:English-language albums Category:Protopunk albums Category:The Velvet Underground albums Category:Verve Records albums